Hello! and sorry for the late update! I'm already working in the next chapter, but please be warned that updates might be a bit erratic for a while, specially since I'm prepping for a new semester in a few weeks, so it's planning time. LOL

I will try to have the chapter ready though! :)

Thanks for your patience and never ending awesomeness, and to Sandy for being the sweetest, best-est editor ever :)

Chapter ELEVEN - Past and Present Children

Present Day

Wang Yo was feeling extremely wronged by the universe as he sat there in his seven thousand-dollar suit, trying not to cringe at the sticky table where Mun Seong had told him to wait while she and Seol got what passed for food at this place. He really needed to talk to So about his daughter's nutritional choices…

At first, he hadn't been alarmed when his niece said she wanted a hamburger. He had gotten on his phone to look up good places nearby, but when they had gotten to the restaurant he selected, Seol said she wanted "A Real Burger!" and insisted they come to this fast food place.

"Here we are," Mun Seong said, happily plopping down a tray loaded with food in front of him before helping Seol into her seat and passing her kid-meal. "God, I love this stuff." She added, reaching for a fry.

"You do?" Yo asked in surprise, growing aghast when she nodded. "I don't think I've been to a fast food place since the first time Jung and his friends got drunk and he called me to pick him up at a Lotteria near Itaewon."

Mun Seong shrugged. "I used to come here all the time when I was in high school with the track and field team after every competition – I've never seen anyone put away as much food as Park Soon Deok." She laughed. "And I come whenever I'm working, and need a quick bite."

"I can't imagine being in that much of a rush."

"Yah, not everyone can afford expensive three hour lunches each time they actually step out of the office." She rolled her eyes.

"Are you mocking me, Kang Mun Seong? Because I feel mocked."

"Just a little. Now, stop being such a snob and eat a fry." She held it out for him and he decided to humor her. "See? It's good."

"I won't die I suppose."

"You have to put ketchup on it, uncle!" Seol piped up.

"No. Ketchup is just sugary toma-"He didn't get to finish as Mun Seong pushed another fry into his mouth, making Seol giggle.

"Yah! I can feed myself."

"Eat while it's still warm, then." Mun Seong admonished.

Grumbling, Yo started to eat his bulgogi burger while listening to Seol chatter about her new school, and her halmeoni and the dojang her father was going to start taking her to so she could learn martial arts like her Appa and Uncle Jung.

Yo could only stomach about half his food, but he was rather entertained watching his fiancée and his niece interact. He had never really thought of it before, but suddenly he realized that one day he might be having kids with Mun Seong, and wasn't that a thought?

"You seem to be in a good mood," Yo commented as they gathered their things to go back.

"I like spending time with you; especially at a place like this where I don't feel like I'm being watched, you know?"

He did, but he couldn't help adding: "You must know I was going to take you to a nice restaurant."

"This is nice," Mun Seong said simply.

"Still, let's go on a real date. Tonight." Yo said impulsively.

..00..

"I'm glad you could make it." Hae Myung Hee said as she and Hae Soo walked through The Galleria Mall where Myung Hee liked to shop. "I thought we would see each other more now that you moved back, but you are always so busy."

"Just as things settle," Hae Soo said. "I'm in the process of hiring a second assistant for Madame Oh, and that should free up some time." Or like today, when So offered to take Seol for the afternoon so she could see her unnie, she only had to pick her up from his office later.

"I'm glad. I can't wait to have you and Seol over at the house!"

Soo nodded and smiled. As much as she loved Myung Hee, she was not thrilled at the prospect of seeing Hwangbo Wook, even all these years later.

"Actually," Myung Hee went on. "We are having a small party to celebrate my sister in law's birthday. I was hoping you could come."

"Unnie," Soo whined, "You know Yeon Hwa doesn't like me!"

"Don't be silly, of course she likes you," Myung Hee said but wouldn't look at Soo while she did.

Soo frowned. She had only met Yeon Hwa a handful of times during Myung Hee and Wook's brief courtship, and of course at their wedding ceremony. The older woman had seemed to hate her guts on sight, always making snide remarks about Soo's appearance and behavior, not to mention the comments that she was "mooching off" Myung Hee – like she and her brother weren't doing the same.

It had been Myung Hee's fortune, name and connections that had pulled the Hwangbo Holdings from the edge of bankruptcy. Not that either of the Hwangbo Siblings would admit it.

"Oh, you need to try this dress on!" Myung Hee distracted her by showing her a pretty black dress. "If you like it, I'll get it for you and you can wear it to the party."

Soo grumbled, but she could never say no to her Unnie.

-000-

After calling a driver to take Soo and Seol home, So wandered back to his office, where he still had a pile of paperwork to sign – for the second time, since Seol had accidentally spilled her juice box over it – but when he noticed the door of Yo's office was open, he decided to talk to his older brother.

Wang Yo was sitting behind his massive desk in his shirtsleeves, sporting a vaguely harried looking expression on his face. Much like when So and Jung used to distract him as a child, and then he had to hurry to finish his school work.

So knocked on the door frame, waiting until Yo looked up. "Hey, I just wanted to thank you for taking Seol with you this afternoon. I hope Mun Seong-ssi wasn't annoyed."

"She was in a good mood, actually; and they got along well." You answered, his eyes straying back to the documents in front of him before adding. "I'm surprised you left her with me, to be honest."

So blinked. "Why wouldn't I? You would never harm a child. I knew she was safe with you."

Yo's eyes snapped up, surprise written all over his face. It was a bit awkward and So looked around his elder brother's office, realizing he had never actually been here since they had made it to the C-suite. Suddenly, his eyes latched onto something behind his brother: a tin-soldier set resting under a glass-dome.

"Is that the same set from where we were kids? The one you never let me play with?"

Yo looked behind him at the orderly rows of tin soldiers in battle formation. "I let you play with it. Sometimes. And yes."

"I used to love the little guy with the flag," So commented.

Yo smiled briefly, before his expression turned serious. "Yeah, you did."

-0-

Twenty-seven years before

Wang Yo was quietly practicing his penmanship when the sound of shattering glass caused him to botch the character on his page. He closed his eyes and hoped it was just an accident, some clumsy maid his mother would fire or something… anything other than his mother in one of her rages.

But when the sound of more glass followed, Yo knew it would be one of those nights. Lately his parents had been fighting a lot, and for some reason his mother always took it out on So – probably because their father dotted on him (as much as he dotted on anyone other than Mu).

Sure enough, when more screaming followed, the door of his bedroom opened slightly. "Hyung?" So's small voice asked, from the crack on the door.

Yo sighed. "Come in quick."

So stepped in, pausing to close the door behind him without making noise. Noise was a bad thing when their mother was in one of her moods. After their parents' last fight, their mother had grabbed So by the arm and dragged him up the stairs, squeezing hard enough to leave bruises until their father had managed to pry him away and sent him off to bed. So hadn't been able to properly move his arm for three days afterward.

Not that anyone said anything but, by the way So kept rubbing his arm, he remembered. "Eomeoni is angry, hyung."

"Don't worry about it," Yo said. "Help me organize the soldiers," he added, bringing out a lacquered box of toy soldiers his Father had brought him from England on his last business trip. Because he was so young still, So had gotten a set of carved and painted wooden animals from Germany, which weren't nearly as cool in Yo's opinion. It was a baby's toy. Instead, So was fascinated with the soldiers and often begged to play with them.

He knew his little brother would keep quiet and entertain himself for a while, placing the little soldiers in rows upon rows.

So got to work, and Yo brought his notebook, pens and ink down to the carpet to keep him company. Every so often, Yo would get up and crack the door open to hear if their mother was near.

"Hyung? Why doesn't this one have any weapons?" So held up one of the soldiers, which was holding an elaborately painted flag.

"Ah, because he's the flag bearer! His job is to march into battle holding the flag, to keep up the soldiers' morale."

"But isn't that more dangerous?"

"It is, that's why it's an important job. If the flag falls, then hope is lost."

So nodded solemnly, gently setting the soldier down. "He must be very brave then." Yo nodded absently, only looking up when So whispered, "I can be brave too."

-00-

PresentDay

Oh Soo Yeon checked the address to make sure she was at the right place: The Park Dojang. She walked in without leaning too much on her cane, looking for that man. It was all his fault. She was sure.

For as long as anyone could remember, Seol had wanted to be a ballerina like her halmeoni, and before moving back to Seoul, Oh Soo Yeon had started teaching her some positions and easy steps. Her granddaughter had talent! She had been looking forward to taking little Seol to her dance lessons, getting her on the right path.

But now, after one single visit to this place, all Seol talked about was martial arts and how her father was going to start bringing her to the dojang.

This would not do at all!

"Can I help you?" A man asked, startling her, making her whirl around fast and causing her cane to slip a bit...which prompted the man to reach out and steady her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Oh Soo Yeon straightened and stepped back, primly asking: "I'm looking for Park So Kyung."

It took some fast talking and maybe all of his skills as a negotiator, but Park So Kyung eventually managed to smooth Madame Oh's ruffled feathers. Enough to get her to come into the house and have some tea.

"Look, I understand you are a bit upset," He said, accidentally slamming the tea pot on the stove and making himself wince. "But it's up to her parents to decide what she's going to learn or not. Aside from my own daughter, So-yah is the most talented one I've trained. If he wants to bring his kid, I'm not going to stop him."

Madame Oh watched through narrowed eyes as the bumbling man tried to make tea. "Do you even know what you're doing?" She asked after watching him drop some leaves into a mug.

"I admit tea isn't one of my specialties."

"Do you have a proper tea-pot?"

"I think my mother had one somewhere," He said, digging through a cupboard until he came out with a yellow pot and matching cups.

"Move over, I'll make the tea."

That's when Park So Kyung found himself sitting down, watching Oh Soo Yeon's delicate movements as she warmed the cups and prepared the tea, all fancy like; and wondering why she seemed strangely familiar, this woman who came to yell at him out of the blue.

-00-

Wang So was a bit surprised when, as he returned home, he saw that all the lights in the first floor were on; and when he opened the front door he was immediately jumped… by a giggling four-year old girl.

"Appa!" Seol happily giggled. "Appa! Did I surprise you?"

"Very much, princess." He said, lifting his daughter up before asking: "Where is your mother?"

"In the kitchen!" Soo's voice called out, and So followed it, surprised to find her stirring something on the stovetop. "Hi! I hope we're not intruding, but Seol wanted to have dinner with you and I figured we could do it here since you would probably be tired from work – she told me how she spilled her juice on your papers, I'm sorry!"

"Don't be, it was fine," So said.

"I-I used the key code you gave me, I hope it was okay?"

"Of course, that's why I gave you the combination," So said, wrapping his free arm around Soo and giving her a squeeze, nuzzling her hair.

"If you have plans we can-"

"Yes, I have plans: to have dinner with my beautiful girls." He cut her off, kissing her cheek before stepping back. "I'll go change and come down to help you, okay?"

"Sure."

Since Seol wouldn't let go of him, he decided to take her with him upstairs.

"Appa, can I tell you a secret?" Seol asked in a dramatic whisper.

"Of course."

"It was Umma's idea but she told me to tell you it was mine."

-0-

Elsewhere in Seoul, Wang Yo sped toward Kang Mun Seong's apartment, all the while cursing himself for picking up the phone when Hwangbo Yeon Hwa had called earlier. He had actually managed to leave the office on time to go home and change to take Mun Seong out. But as he reached his car, his phone had rung and Yeon Hwa had requested he meet her at a nearby bar.

Against his better judgement, he had gone. Only to be handed an invitation to her birthday party.

"Bring your little fiancée if you want," Yeon Hwa had laughed while she sipped her wine.

"You know, you could have just messaged me this."

"But what's the fun in that?" She said, leaning in close and pressing her body against him. Once, he had known that body pretty darn well.

"You're making me late for an appointment."

"Just say you'll come," She pouted. "You know I throw a good party, that I can give you a good time."

He did know that, but it didn't help his current predicament.

"Mun Seong!" He called out as he opened the door, trying not to squash the bouquet of flowers he had had his secretary pick up for him and which had already started to wilt a bit.

"You're late," She accused. She was wearing his favorite dress of hers. "This was your idea, you know?"

"I'm sorry. I had some car troubles but it's all fixed now." He lied, offering her the flowers.

Mun Seong eyed him suspiciously. "Did you remember to push back the reservation?"

"Of course. Enough so that if you are merciful, I should be able to take a shower before we leave."

"Fine. I'll put these in some water."

"You are the best." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, not noticing how she stiffened in his rush.

Mun Seong went through the motions, getting a vase from underneath the sink and filling it with water, arranging the poor flowers as best she could, waiting until the sound of the water running indicated that Yo was in the shower.

She went back to her room, picking up Yo's discarded clothing and sorting them out, pushing his underclothes, socks and shirt into the laundry basket. She pulled his wallet out of his pants before folding them, and finally lifting his suit jacket, taking a whiff.

She had been right; it did smell like perfume. Something sweet and expensive. Nothing like the fresh fragrances she sometimes wore. Mun Seong told herself that it didn't have to mean anything. Maybe he had stood too close to someone while riding the elevator or something. But as she shook out the jacket, a thick envelope fell from the inner pocket.

Checking to make sure he was still in the bathroom, Mun Seong opened the envelope and took out its contents.

"You are cordially invited to celebrate with Hwangbo Yeon Hwa…"

Author's Note:

From next chapter:

With a last sigh, Soo smoothed her dress and put on her coat before making her way to Baek Ah's office, where So was waiting. She could hear Seol's giggles as soon as she rounded the /

Wang So had Seol propped on his hip and was waltzing her around the hallway while Baek Ah hummed a waltz-y tune and tried to keep a straight face